InterContinental Hotels Group has signed an agreement with MBLand (Military Bank Land) to manage the group’s first Holiday Inn Hotel in Vietnam’s capital city of Hanoi. Scheduled to open in 2012, the new hotel, with more than 300 rooms, will be known as Holiday Inn Hanoi Dong Da and will be part of a mixed-development complex with an upmarket retail and commercial centre.

The project is a new build development located at Chua Boc Street, in the Dong Da District of Hanoi. This district is close to the city centre and features a wide variety of residential and commercial and entertainment facilities. The area is likely to become a major commercial district in the longer term due to its proximity to the city centre and the fact that its overall infrastructure has been upgraded, with new buildings coming up on an ongoing basis. The special design of the mixed development complex takes inspiration from Ha Long Bay (a World Heritage Site) and Vietnamese traditional art. The hotel will be at the highest and most recognisable building of the complex, and guests will have easy access to the luxury retail centre.

Jan Smits, chief operating officer, Southern Asia and Korea, IHG Asia Pacific, said, “With one hotel already open and close to 2,600 rooms under development, IHG is one of the fastest growing international hotel operators in Vietnam. The Holiday Inn hotel is the world’s most recognised hotel brand and is preferred by business travellers who need productive facilities and families looking for memorable holiday experiences. The Holiday Inn strategically fills a white space, given the increased number of luxury and upscale hotels anticipated to enter the market. With this significant milestone, we are showing our continuing commitment to Vietnam.”

Hanoi, a popular destination in northern Vietnam, is expected to attract two million international travellers and seven million domestic visitors by 2010. The capital welcomed 3.7 million tourists in the first half of 2008, a year-on-year increase of 12% according to the Vietnam National Administration of Tourism (July 2008).
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